Guide
Recommended Viewing: This is a list of notable directors and films that you should check out if you want to get started in cinema. They are in chronological order. Pre-1920's and 1920's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: D.W. Griffith 1915 - BIRTH OF A NATION, THE 1916 - INTOLERANCE 1919 - BROKEN BLOSSOMS Victor Sjöström ''' 1920 - PHANTOM CARRIAGE, THE 1928 - WIND, THE '''Charles Chaplin 1921 - KID, THE 1925 - GOLD RUSH, THE F.W. Murnau 1922 - NOSFERATU 1924 - LAST LAUGH, THE 1926 - FAUST 1927 - SUNRISE Buster Keaton ''' 1923 - OUR HOSPITALITY 1924 - SHERLOCK JR. 1926 - GENERAL, THE '''Sergei Eisenstein 1925 - BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN 1927 - OCTOBER Other significant films and directors: 1902 - VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE, LE 1922 - NANOOK OF THE NORTH 1924 - GREED 1927 - NAPOLÉON 1928 - PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, THE 1928 - CHIEN ANDALOU, UN 1928 - PANDORA'S BOX 1929 - MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA, THE Other recommended Directors: Erich von Stroheim, Frintz Lang, King Vidor, Frank Borzage and Josef von Sternberg Important art movements: German Expressionism 1930's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: Jean Vigo ' 1933 - ZERO FOR CONDUCT 1934 - ATALANTE, L' '''Jean Renoir ' 1935 - TONI 1936 - PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE 1937 - GRANDE ILLUSION, LA 1939 - RULES OF THE GAME, THE '''Howard Hawks 1932 - SCARFACE 1938 - BRINGING UP BABY 1939 - ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS Victor Fleming 1939 - WIZARD OF OZ, THE 1939 - GONE WITH THE WIND Frank Capra ''' 1934 - IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT 1939 - MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON '''Josef von Sternberg 1930 - BLUE ANGEL, THE 1932 - SHANGHAI EXPRESS 1934 - SCARLET EMPRESS, THE Other significant films and directors: 1930 - ÂGE D'OR, L' 1930 - EARTH 1931 - M 1931 - FRANKENSTEIN 1932 - TROUBLE IN PARADISE 1933 - DUCK SOUP 1939 - STAGECOACH Other recommended Directors: Early Yasujiro Ozu & Kenji Mizoguchi, Ernst Lubitsch, Marcel Carné and Fritz Lang Important art movements: '''Early Surrealism 1940's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: '''John Ford 1940 - GRAPES OF WRATH, THE 1941 - HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY 1945 - THEY WERE EXPENDABLE Orson Welles ' 1941 - CITIZEN KANE 1942 - MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, THE 1948 - LADY FROM SHANGHAI, THE '''Ernst Lubitsch ' 1940 - SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, THE 1942 - TO BE OR NOT TO BE 1943 - HEAVEN CAN WAIT 'Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger ' 1940 - THIEF OF BAGDAD, THE 1943 - LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP, THE 1946 - MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, A 1946 - BLACK NARCISSUS 1948 - RED SHOES, THE '''Vittorio De Sica 1946 - SHOESHINE 1948 - BICYCLE THIEVES Roberto Rossellini 1945 - ROME, OPEN CITY 1946 - PAISAN 1947 - GERMANY, YEAR ZERO 1949 - STROMBOLI Other significant films and directors: 1940 - FANTASIA 1941 - MALTESE FALCON, THE 1942 - CASABLANCA 1942 - CAT PEOPLE 1943 - MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON 1944 - LAURA 1944 - DOUBLE INDEMNITY 1945 - ENFANTS DU PARADIS, LES 1949 - THIRD MAN, THE 1949 - KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS Other recommended Directors: Charles Chaplin, Maya Deren, David Lean, Jean Cocteau , Preston Sturges, Alfred Hitchcock and Carl Dreyer Important art movements: Italian Neorealism, Film Noir 1950's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: Akira Kurosawa 1950 - RASHOMON 1952 - IKIRU 1954 - SEVEN SAMURAI 1957 - THRONE OF BLOOD Billy Wilder 1950 - SUNSET BLVD. 1951 - ACE IN THE HOLE 1959 - SOME LIKE IT HOT Robert Bresson 1950 - DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST 1956 - MAN ESCAPED, A 1959 - PICKPOCKET Alfred Hitchcock 1951 - STRANGERS ON A TRAIN 1954 - REAR WINDOW 1958 - VERTIGO 1959 - NORTH BY NORTHWEST Yasujiro Ozu ' 1951 - EARLY SUMMER 1953 - TOKYO STORY 1958 - EQUINOX FLOWER 1959 - FLOATING WEEDS '''Luis Buñuel ' 1950 - OLVIDADOS, LOS 1952 - EL 1955 - CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ, THE 1958 - NAZARÍN 'Federico Fellini ' 1953 - VITELLONI, I 1954 - STRADA, LA 1957 - NIGHTS OF CABIRIA 'Kenji Mizoguchi ' 1952 - LIFE OF OHARU, THE 1953 - UGETSU MONOGATARI 1954 - SANSHO THE BAILIFF 1955 - PRINCESS YANG KWEI FEI '''Ingmar Bergman 1957 - WILD STRAWBERRIES 1957 - SEVENTH SEAL, THE 1959 - VIRGIN SPRING, THE Satyajit Ray 1955 - PATHER PANCHALI 1956 - APARAJITO 1958 - MUSIC ROOM, THE 1959 - WORLD OF APU, THE Other significant films and directors: 1950 - ALL ABOUT EVE 1950 - ASPHALT JUNGLE, THE 1951 - DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE 1952 - SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1953 - MADAME DE... 1953 - WAGES OF FEAR, THE 1954 - ON THE WATERFRONT 1954 - JOHNNY GUITAR 1955 - NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, THE 1955 - PATHER PANCHALI 1955 - NIGHT AND FOG 1956 - SEARCHERS, THE 1957 - BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE 1958 - ASHES AND DIAMONDS 1959 - 400 BLOWS, THE Other recommended Directors: Nicholas Ray, John Huston, Max Ophüls, Elia Kazan, John Ford, Orson Welles, Alain Resnais, Douglas Sirk and Stanley Kubrick Important art movements: Polish Film School, beginning of French New Wave 1960's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: Jean-Luc Godard 1960 - BREATHLESS 1961 - FEMME EST UNE FEMME, UNE 1962 - VIVRE SA VIE 1963 - CONTEMPT 1964 - BANDE À PART 1965 - PIERROT LE FOU 1965 - ALPHAVILLE 1966 - TWO OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER 1967 - WEEK-END Michelangelo Antonioni ' 1960 - AVVENTURA, L' 1961 - NOTTE, LA 1962 - ECLISSE, L' 1964 - RED DESERT 1966 - BLOWUP '''Luchino Visconti ' 1960 - ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS 1963 - LEOPARD, THE 1969 - DAMNED, THE 'François Truffaut ' 1960 - SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER 1961 - JULES ET JIM 1968 - STOLEN KISSES '''Federico Fellini 1960 - DOLCE VITA, LA 1963 - 8½ 1965 - JULIET OF THE SPIRITS 1969 - FELLINI SATYRICON Other significant films and directors: 1960 - PSYCHO 1960 - APARTMENT, THE 1960 - ARNULF RAINER 1961 - VIRIDIANA 1961 - LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD 1962 - LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 1962 - JETÉE, LA 1962 - HARAKIRI 1963 - HIGH AND LOW 1963 - VERDUGO, EL 1964 - DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB 1964 - UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, THE 1964 - BLACK GOD, WHITE DEVIL 1964 - DOG STAR MAN 1965 - BATTLE OF ALGIERS, THE 1966 - ANDREI RUBLEV 1966 - PERSONA 1966 - AU HASARD BALTHAZAR 1966 - DAISIES 1967 - PLAYTIME 1967 - SAMOURAÏ, LE 1967 - WAVELENGTH 1967 - BONNIE AND CLYDE 1968 - 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968 - FACES Other recommended Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Chris Marker, Stan Brakhage, Masaki Kobayashi, Andrei Tarkovsky, Roman Polanski, Andy Warhol, Sergio Leone and John Cassavetes Important art movements: ''' French New Wave, Experimental Cinema, Czechoslovak New Wave, Cinema Novo, beginning of New Hollywood 1970's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: '''Bernardo Bertolucci 1970 - CONFORMIST, THE 1972 - LAST TANGO IN PARIS 1976 - 1900 Nicolas Roeg 1970 - PERFORMANCE 1971 - WALKABOUT 1973 - DON'T LOOK NOW John Cassavetes ' 1970 - HUSBANDS 1974 - WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, A 1976 - KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE, THE 1977 - OPENING NIGHT '''Robert Altman ' 1970 - M*A*S*H 1971 - MCCABE & MRS. MILLER 1973 - LONG GOODBYE, THE 1975 - NASHVILLE 1977 - 3 WOMEN '''Hal Ashby 1971 - HAROLD AND MAUDE 1973 - LAST DETAIL, THE 1979 - BEING THERE Francis Ford Coppola ''' 1972 - GODFATHER, THE 1974 - GODFATHER PART II, THE 1974 - CONVERSATION, THE 1979 - APOCALYPSE NOW '''Andrei Tarkovsky 1972 - SOLARIS 1974 - MIRROR 1979 - STALKER Martin Scorsese 1973 - MEAN STREETS 1976 - TAXI DRIVER 1977 - NEW YORK, NEW YORK Wim Wenders 1974 - ALICE IN THE CITIES 1976 - KINGS OF THE ROAD 1977 - AMERICAN FRIEND, THE Other significant films and directors: 1970 - FIVE EASY PIECES 1970 - CLAIRE'S KNEE 1971 - CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A 1971 - FRENCH CONNECTION, THE 1971 - LAST PICTURE SHOW, THE 1971 - W.R.: MYSTERIES OF THE ORGANISM 1972 - AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD 1972 - DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, THE 1973 - MOTHER AND THE WHORE, THE 1973 - BADLANDS 1973 - HOLY MOUNTAIN, THE 1973 - TOUKI BOUKI 1974 - CHINATOWN 1974 - ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL 1974 - BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA 1975 - JAWS 1975 - JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES 1975 - DOG DAY AFTERNOON 1975 - ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST 1976 - CARRIE 1976 - ROCKY 1977 - ANNIE HALL (Woody Allen / USA / 94m / Col) ▪97 1977 - STAR WARS 1977 - ERASERHEAD 1977 - CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 1977 - KILLER OF SHEEP Other recommended Directors: Luis Buñuel, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Stanley Kubrick, Jacques Rivette, Monte Hellman, Terrence Malick, Roman Polanski, Sam Peckinpah, John Carpenter, George Lucas Important art movements: ' New Hollywoodm, New German Cinema 1980's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: '''Rainer Werner Fassbinder ' 1980 - BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ 1982 - VERONIKA VOSS '''David Lynch 1980 - ELEPHANT MAN, THE 1986 - BLUE VELVET Steven Spielberg ''' 1981 - RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 1982 - E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL '''Jim Jarmusch 1984 - STRANGER THAN PARADISE 1986 - DOWN BY LAW James Cameron 1984 - TERMINATOR, THE 1986 - ALIENS David Cronenberg 1983 - VIDEODROME 1986 - FLY, THE 1988 - DEAD RINGERS John Hughes 1985 - BREAKFAST CLUB 1986 - FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF Woody Allen 1980 - STARDUST MEMORIES 1983 - ZELIG 1984 - BROADWAY DANNY ROSE 1985 - PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO, THE 1986 - HANNAH AND HER SISTERS 1989 - CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS Other significant films and directors: 1980 - RAGING BULL 1980 - SHINING, THE 1980 - KAGEMUSHA 1980 - HEAVEN'S GATE 1981 - BLOW OUT 1982 - BLADE RUNNER 1982 - FANNY AND ALEXANDER 1982 - FITZCARRALDO 1983 - SANS SOLEIL 1983 - ARGENT, L' 1983 - KOYAANISQATSI 1983 - SCARFACE 1983 - SUR, EL 1984 - ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA 1984 - PARIS, TEXAS 1985 - COME AND SEE 1987 - WINGS OF DESIRE 1987 - EVIL DEAD II 1988 - MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO 1988 - DEKALOG 1989 - DO THE RIGHT THING 1989 - CITY OF SADNESS, A Other recommended Directors: Martin Scorsese, Akira Kurosawa, Michael Cimino, Brian De Palma, Robert Bresson, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders Important art movements: '''Taiwan New Wave 1990's Essential Directors and their most important works in that decade: '''Abbas Kiarostami 1990 - CLOSE-UP 1992 - AND LIFE GOES ON… 1994 - THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES 1997 - TASTE OF CHERRY, A 1999 - WIND WILL CARRY US, THE Krzysztof Kieslowski 1991 - DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE, THE 1993 - THREE COLOURS: BLUE 1994 - THREE COLOURS: RED Joel Coen & Ethan Coen ' 1990 - MILLER'S CROSSING 1991 - BARTON FINK 1996 - FARGO 1998 - BIG LEBOWSKI, THE '''Wong Kar-wai ' 1990 - DAYS OF BEING WILD 1994 - CHUNGKING EXPRESS 1997 - HAPPY TOGETHER 'Quentin Tarantino ' 1992 - RESERVOIR DOGS 1994 - PULP FICTION 'Lars von Trier ' 1996 - BREAKING THE WAVES 1998 - IDIOTS, THE 'Tsai Ming-liang ' 1994 - VIVE L'AMOUR 1997 - RIVER, THE '''Other significant films and directors: 1991 - BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY, A 1991 - MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO 1991 - VAN GOGH 1993 - PIANO, THE 1993 - NAKED 1994 - SÁTÁNTANGÓ 1994 - CRUMB 1995 - SAFE 1995 - TOY STORY 1995 - DEAD MAN 1995 - HAINE, LA 1996 - LOST HIGHWAY 1997 - HANA-BI 1998 - BEAU TRAVAIL 1998 - THIN RED LINE, THE 1998 - FESTEN 1998 - FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI 1999 - ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER Other recommended Directors: Martin Scorsese, Edward Yang, Lèos Carax, Gus Van Sant, Richard Linklater, Manoel de Oliveira, Béla Tarr, Todd Haynes, David Fincher, Aleksandr Sokurov, Hayao Miyazaki, Hou Hsiao-hsien. Wes Anderson Important art movements: 'Taiwan New Wave, Iranian New Wave, Remodernist Film, Dogme 95 FAQ: '-Are there any other lists like this? Yes, these: TSPDT 1000 Greatest Films: http://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000.htm IMDb Top 250: http://www.imdb.com/chart/top Empire's 500 Greates Movies of All Time: http://www.empireonline.com/500/99.asp 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: http://www.listal.com/list/1001-movies-you-must-see-padiii Jonathan Rosenbaums's Essentials List: http://mubi.com/lists/jonathan-rosenbaums-1000-essential-films Sight and Sound's Poll: http://explore.bfi.org.uk/sightandsoundpolls/2012 '-Are there any good documentaries about film history? And about filmmaking?' Yes, most notably Mark Cousins' The Story of Film: An Odyssey '''documentary, devided in 15 one-hour chapters. Also, Scorsese's '''A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies. Regarding filmmaking, there are Cinematographer Style, The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing, Syde by Side and Visions of Light. ''' And for more in-deep and technical information Hollywood Camera Work is a good course. -'''Does /tv/ talk about all the directors in the list above? Which ones are the most discussed? No, /tv/ mostly talks about newer directors, however, older and obscurer directors are also discussed from time to time, so feel free to make a thread about any director you want, you will probably get replies. The most discussed directors are Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Wes Anderson, Terrence Malick, Akira Kurosawa, Quentin Tarantino, Ingmar Bergman, David Cronenberg, Spike Jonze, Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wong Kar Wai, David Fincher, Sam Peckinpah, Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith and Martin Scorsese, among others. -'Any good online reviewers?' /tv/ is mosly interested in the Half in the Bag segments from RedLetterMedia. But are also interested in Mark Kermode's, James Rolfe's and Nostalgia Critic's reviews.